I.E.U. Datenbank » ain sharp in the final leg of the

The great players deserve a vast majority of the credit this weekend in Texas for getting their teams to the big weekend. In the college game the head coach is like a CEO of a major company who oversees his program and deals with recruiting, scheduling, budgets, academics, fundraising, alumni relations, public and media relations, speaking, mentoring and the spotlight of being a major public figure. On the traditional college campus the basketball coach along with the president and the football and/or baseball or hockey coach are the most recognizable and significant figures when it comes to publicity and fundraising. These four Final Four coaches not only can coach/recruit/lead but they are wonderful ambassadors for their schools. Here is a quick thought on each guy. 1. BO RYAN (Wisconsin): Teams are always really sound on both sides of the Ball. Gets great effort out of his guys. Crisp ball movement on offence with great role definition and ultra stingy defence. They protect the paint beautifully. Sound in all areas. 2 KEVIN OLLIE (UCONN): Thrilled for him. Jim Calhoun really wanted him to have this job and he has delivered. After being unable to play in the tournament last year hes gotten his team to grow and mature from the challenges of last season and improve to the point of being an elite team. Takes a special guy to replace a legend and get the program on track and hes done it wonderfully. Team is tenacious in its effort and they really feed off of his energy. They are organized and smartly play to their strength - their guards. 3. JOHN CALIPARI (Kentucky): This guy gets a bad rap. Yes he can really recruit but hes a terrific teacher, motivator, tactician and leader. Ive known John for over 30 years and have seen him rise from being a graduate assistant at Kansas to now. Awesome jobs done at UMass, Memphis and now with the Wildcats. Brought this talented young group along with tough love and a velvet touch as well. Its all about getting your team to peak at the right time and hes been masterful at that throughout his fine career. 4. BILLY DONOVAN (Florida): Attention to detail and innovative. Adapts well to his teams talent and skill level. Two NCAA championships already and this current group of experienced players are close knit due to his vision. His defensive schemes are sound and disruptive to opponents. His offence is guard oriented and they dont beat themselves. Has made the Florida job (at a football school) one of the elite basketball jobs in college hoops due to his sustained success. Steve Yzerman Jersey . Span, Danny Espinosa and Adam LaRoche had two hits apiece as Washington won the final two games of the series. The Nationals improved to 3-7 against Atlanta. They increased their division lead over the Braves to 1 1/2 games. Detroit Red Wings Jerseys . "I only want to go through this one more time," Crosby said Friday. The 24-year-old captain hasnt played since the symptoms resurfaced following a loss to Boston on Dec. 5. Doctors allowed him to return to full practice on Tuesday and while Crosby is pleased with the way his body is responding he refuses to put on his return. http://www.hockeyredwings.info/authentic...d-wings-jersey/. - The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent centre Brian de la Puente. Thomas Vanek Jersey . Or how his team has defended Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Or just about anything that has happened on the court in the first-round playoff series. Instead, Rivers and his players spent Saturday talking about how they would respond to an audio recording of a man identified as Clippers owner Donald Sterling telling his girlfriend not to bring black people to games. Andreas Athanasiou Jersey .Y. - Urijah Faber walked out on a Madison Square Garden stage in a Wes Welker jersey, the UFCs fun nod to that other "super" show this weekend.TORONTO – Under the strain of a no. 1 gig in the NHL for the very first time, Jonathan Bernier has learned that its best to do little with off-nights from the grueling schedule, condensed as it is in an Olympic year. "I go home and watch TV and just rest," he said with a smile. "But thats what you need to do to be successful. Thats what Im going to do." And thats precisely what the Maple Leafs need him to do. Outside of the incomparable Phil Kessel, no player means more to Torontos fortunes down the stretch and into a hopeful postseason run than the 25-year-old between the pipes. Freed from the shadows of Jonathan Quick, Bernier has shined brilliantly in his first go-around as an NHL starter, minding the fort on most nights in front of a poor defensive team. The Laval, Quebec native ranks sixth in save percentage amongst goaltenders with at least 30 starts, this despite facing more shots than anyone but Mike Smith – Smith, of course, making nine more starts. Whether Bernier has the juice to maintain such a performance down the stretch could very well determine his teams fate. Though theyve scored in droves all year, the Leafs have also struggled badly to defend, requiring Bernier to fend off a barrage of 35, 40 and sometimes 50 shots against on many nights. His efforts have rarely wavered in spite of the workload. Berniers best month in terms of save percentage was October when he posted a sterling .933 mark, his worst coming more recently in January with a still respectable .916 showing. The Leafs – who allow a league-high of more than 36 shots per game – would not be on the firm ground of a playoff spot currently without such feats. "I knew my biggest challenge this year was going to be consistency," he told the Leaf Report, "to be good every night and hopefully, once in a while, be great and steal a few games for your team. Thats my main goal, to be good every night and give a chance to my team to win. But thats hard. When you havent played that much (as a starter) you feel tired a lot more than you are usually so its more like a grind mentally to push yourself to be better every day and work hard in practice. "Why (Henrik) Lundqvist is known as the best is hes going to be good every night and hes going to be great once in a while. Thats how you become the best is consistency. You can have one good year and then youre not going to be the best because youve got to prove it over and over. Thats what makes you a great player." Not since the 2009-10 season has Bernier played anywhere near thhis many games (40 starts) and that was when he was a Manchester Monarch in the AHL.dddddddddddd His performance then was eye-catching. Then just 21, he posted a league-leading .936 save percentage during the regular season – Nathan Lawson was second at .922 – raising his level even higher in the playoffs with a .939 mark that again topped every one of his Calder Cup counterparts. All of which makes his performance this season if not surprising then reaffirming of the promise he showed early and often as a highly-touted prospect in the Kings organization. The question lingering now is whether he can continue to perform down the stretch or whether the strain of a sometimes painstaking load in Toronto will prove too much to bear. It will be worthwhile testing ground for the 11th pick in the 06 draft and could ultimately decide the Leafs fate this season. They remain a bad defensive team even with his heroics, ranking fifth to last in goals against. If he falters theres every chance they too falter as well (James Reimer lurks in the background in that case as a proven, if not unused, alternative). Bernier was on point in the final lead-up to the 18-day Olympic stoppage, but was scuffed up in his first two starts afterward, yielding nine goals combined in overtime losses to the Islanders and Canadiens. Off-nights like that will challenge the Leafs playoff push. Theyve required great goaltending to get to this point and will need more of the same in the final 20 games, the bulk of which Bernier is in line to start. Bernier for his part is doing what he can to remain sharp in the final leg of the regular season race. Earlier this season he noted that perhaps the greatest challenge of reassuming control of no. 1 duties is the mental focus required each and every night through an exhausting schedule, not simply the physical wear and tear associated with the job. "Its all about rest and feeling good about yourself and making sure you eat properly, you rest, you sleep good," he said. "Those are the things that are going to get you through a full season to be mentally sharp." Ambition is certainly high for Bernier. He wants to be great and the Leafs, at this stage, need him to be great, gambled when they acquired him that he could be great. "I dont want to look too far ahead," he said, "but my goal is to be the best I can be. Its going to take a few years to get that name (for myself) … but right now Im going day by day and enjoying to play games. Thats what Ive been waiting for and it feels good." ' ' '